Live in Peace
by lightbright90
Summary: Edward Cullen, of Cullen Family Funeral Home fame, is surrounded by death. Bella Swan, of little or no fame, has yet to really live. When the two long-time nemeses are paired as biology partners, they'll be learning a lot more about life than just basic cellular structure. AU/AH
1. Final Rites

**Author's Note**: Here's my new story, which I'll be posting on Fridays. For those who read my other story, Hero, don't worry! I'll still be updating that regularly as well. Each chapter of this story will have a header containing funeral terminology. The definition for these terms comes from the Death and Funeral Glossary, which was created by the University of Tampere in Finland. Also, these characters don't belong to me. They belong to Stephenie Meyer.

**Warning**: This story contains teenage drug use and sex.

**Chapter One**: Final Rites

**Final Rites**: _The funeral service_.

The Cullens and Hales are a novelty in the town of Forks, despite the fact they moved there over fives years ago. Forks, Washington is a small town; it is a _boring_ town. There is not much else to do but gossip.

As the Cullens and Hales sit at their lunch table in the Forks High School Cafeteria, people surreptitiously sneak glances at them. It can hardly be helped. They do make for a striking quintet.

The boys are classically handsome and the girls are equally as stunning. One only has to look at their parents to see where such good genes were derived from.

Rosalie Hale and her younger brother, Jasper, both have golden hair that is the envy of men girls and boys alike at Forks High. Rosalie, with her cape of golden hair and statuesque figure, is the girl that every other girl wishes they could be.

Alice Cullen is not quite as beautiful as Rosalie, but she stands out even more so. Recently, she chopped her black locks into a wild pixie cut. It suits her, along with the dark clothing she loves to don. She stands out amongst the falsely bright colors that the people of Forks enjoy wearing.

Her brothers, the twins, are polar opposites. Emmett has curly black hair and twinkling blue eyes. He almost always sports a mischievous grin. Edward, on the other hand, has a wild mop of reddish brown hair and is rarely seen smiling. He's the only one in the group that may be even easier on the eyes than Rosalie—something that she greatly resents.

By all rights, they should be the most popular kids in the school. Emmett, Rosalie and Edward, as seniors, should be ruling the school with an iron fist, with Alice and Jasper ready to take over next year. Instead, they are outcasts, ostracized by even the bottom of the social hierarchy.

The denizens of Forks High decided long ago that the Cullens and Hales were, to be frank, freaks. From the moment they found out back in middle school what their parents' chosen profession was, people were creeped out by the Cullens and Hales.

They own a funeral parlor. It was (and is) the cause of many rumors.

Some say Alice goes into the caskets and sleeps with the corpses at night. Others say that Rosalie takes her make up styling tips from mortician magazines. The worst rumor is, perhaps, that Edward likes to "enjoy" the company of the bodies they keep at the Cullen Family Funeral Home.

(Rosalie may have started that particular rumor. She will neither confirm nor deny her involvement. )

As if the Cullen and Hale clan don't have it hard enough, they also have two other strikes against them. The first being that their parents, Carlisle Cullen and Esme Hale, are living together, but are not legally wed. This fact is quite upsetting to the people of the small town of Forks, with their conservative values and mindsets.

Carlisle and Esme have both been married before, though and neither feels the need to do so again. Perhaps what is even more outrageous to the people of Forks is that they are letting their children from their previous marriages _date_ one another.

Emmett and Rosalie, and Jasper and Alice have both been couples since they began their high school years. Edward is the odd man out and, frankly, likes it that way.

These three strikes against the Cullens have caused them to be, quite simply, pariahs. (It doesn't stop people from using the Cullen Family Funeral Home, though. _No one_ holds a better funeral than Carlisle Cullen and Esme Hale.)

This is why, right at this very moment, many people in the Forks High School Cafeteria are looking at the Cullen/Hale clan and talking about them, but no one is talking _to_ them. No one would ever say what they were gossiping about to any of the Cullen's or Hale's faces, though. People are a bit too terrified of them.

Bella Swan isn't afraid of them, though. Not even a little bit. She's found them to be fascinating ever since she first met them in middle school. Each and every one of them is mysterious to her, but none more so than Edward Cullen. She has always been intrigued by him, but has never acted on that interest. Her fear of losing her friends eclipses her need to know more about him.

Truth be told, Edward Cullen makes her uncomfortable. Not in a bad way, necessarily. She often catches him staring at her with hooded eyes and a heated gaze. She catches him because she likes to stare at him, too. They don't talk, though. That would be far too intimate for Bella.

Bella has no desire to get too attached to anyone in Forks. She doesn't plan on staying there. Her destiny lies in New York, or, at least, she hopes it does. She's in the middle of applying to several colleges, but her top choice is Columbia University. Getting in will be tough, but she will be valedictorian of her class at Forks.

If Edward Cullen doesn't manage to snatch it all away, that is. They ended their junior year in a tie. Both of them had a 3.989 GPA. This year Bella is determined to best him, though. It's the first day of their last year of high school and she can feel it in her bones that she's going to come out on top.

She can't help but to join in the other onlookers and glance over at the Cullen's table. Thinking about Edward all too often leads to her looking at Edward. She's lucky none of her friends have picked up on it. Her curtain of brown hair does wonders to hide the direction of her gaze.

Her friends may not take notice, but Edward certainly does. She watches him as he sits quietly, listening to his siblings. Occasionally he spares them a small laugh, but he never joins the conversation. Even amongst the outcasts he is an outsider.

She knows she should stop looking, but she can't. She looks for long enough that Edward eventually looks up to meet her gaze. Startling green eyes meet boring brown. Edward cocks a brow at her.

Normally, Bella would look down and blush, but she readied herself for the new school year with a plan. She will do anything she can to throw Edward Cullen off balance.

She stares right back at him and winks.

Edward's brow continues it's lone climb up his forehead. She's trying to think of a response when she's interrupted.

"Watchya doing, Bells?"

She rips her gaze from Edward's to find her boyfriend, Jacob, sitting down next to her.

Despite his large size, there is nothing intimidating about Jacob. Everything about him is nice. His russet skin and bright smile are cute and nice. His company is nice. Being in a relationship with him is nice. Having sex with him is nice.

Everything about him is just too damn _nice_ sometimes.

Most days, Bella likes spending time with him. His easygoing attitude is usually a good foil for her less than sunny demeanor. Today is one of those odd days, though, where she can't wait to be out of Forks and away from Jacob.

"Nothing," she grumbles back to him. "I'm doing nothing."

Jacob looks to see what Bella was looking at just moments ago. He catches sight of something that makes his gaze darken. "You shouldn't let that freak Cullen bother you, Bells. Staring him down will only make it worse."

Thankfully Jacob has never clued in on her little obsession with Edward Cullen. He, like everyone else, thinks that Edward has an unrequited crush on her. Bella does nothing to dispel this notion, even though she knows she should.

She leans over to peck Jacob on the lips, knowing that it will distract him. When he deepens the kiss, she allows it. He's a good kisser.

After a minute, she pulls away and gives him a small smile. Despite her complaints, Jacob is a good boyfriend and they do have a certain chemistry together. A part of her will miss him when she leaves for college.

She still plans to break up with him come August, of course. It will upset her father, Charlie, who is good friends with Jacob's father. It won't really matter too much, though. She'll be too far away to reap the consequences of her father's sure to be ruffled feathers.

Jacob flashes her his white teeth. "Happy birthday," he murmurs. "I'm trying to keep things contained this year. I know you don't like people knowing that it's your birthday."

Bella can't help but to chuckle at that. "Jake, this is Forks. _Everyone_ knows that it's my birthday."

He laughs with her. "I guess you're right. So you shouldn't be _too_ reluctant to go to the surprise party that Jessica and Lauren are having for you tonight."

Bella rolls her eyes. "I'd really rather not, but I know those two. No way am I getting out of it. Thanks for letting me in on the surprise." He knows her well enough to know that she hates surprises.

"You're welcome. Think of it this way: people will be too busy celebrating the first day of school to remember it's your birthday," he says. He waggles his eyebrows. "So the big one-eight . . . how's it feel to be an adult?"

Bella shrugs. "Meh. I still live under my parents' roof. My mom still made me breakfast this morning. My dad will probably still pretend to clean his gun any time you so much as stare at the doorway to my room."

Jake snorts. "I really wish he'd stop doing that."

Two of her friends, the unwanted surprise party planners, Lauren and Jessica, sit down with them.

"Happy birthday, Bella!" Jessica says, tone cheerful. Everything about her is cheerful. She's even a cheerleader; a fact she flaunts with pride by wearing her curly brown hair in a high ponytail and donning her uniform on a daily basis.

Lauren is also a cheerleader, but she's always less than cheerful. A kind person would describe her as prickly. Bella would just say that she's a bitch. She and Bella are the kind of friends that don't really get along, but somehow manage to remain friends. Bella is certain that once she leaves Forks, her friendship with Lauren will leave right along with her.

"Happy birthday," Lauren mutters, clearly reluctant to allow anyone else to be the center of attention.

"Thanks, Jessica." Bella's tone is warm, genuine. "Lauren." Not so warm. Not so genuine.

"Cullen's been staring at our Bells again," Jacob tells the girls. Although he'll never admit it, he's a terrible gossip.

"Can we talk about something else, please?" Bella begs, already knowing what the answer will be.

"Nope." A predatory gleam enters Lauren's eyes as she says it. "Maybe you two can share a coffin together."

"Hey now. The only coffin Bells will be sharing is mine," Jacob jokes.

Bella punches him in the arm, but doesn't put any force behind it.

Lauren barks out a laugh, but Jessica frowns. "That's kind of mean, Lauren. Edward is really nice."

"Pshhhhhh. Yeah right." Bitterness creeps into Lauren's tone. She famously once asked Edward out only to be turned down with a, "No. Never going to happen." Ever since, she's made an effort to tear him down any chance she gets.

"It's my birthday," Bella says. "And this birthday girl desperately wants a change of subject." Bella doesn't feel the need to listen to one of Lauren's anti-Cullen tirades. It only serves to give her a headache.

"So, Bella," Jessica says, tone just a tad too innocent, "any big birthday plans for tonight?"

Bella plays along, only for sweet, simple Jessica's sake. "Jake's taking me to a movie in Port Angeles. It'll probably be a pretty early night."

"But it's not even a school night!" Jessica protests dramatically. She will not be winning the Oscar for Best Actress anytime soon.

"Got to get my beauty sleep. Someone has to beat out Edward Cullen for valedictorian." She accidentally lets slip a mention of Edward. It's as if his name was just waiting to roll of her tongue. She really needs to learn to control her brain-to-mouth filter better.

"No one wants to hear _Edward Cullen_ give a speech at graduation," Lauren agrees.

Jacob joins in. "What would he even say? 'My life has been filled with doom and gloom. And now yours shall be too. A pox upon ye all'?"

"Stop it, you guys," Jessica groans, trying to smother her laughter behind her hand.

Bella is the only one not laughing. Jake's sense of humor is a bit . . . dumb. She glances up at the clock. Only twenty more minutes of having to endure their high school lunchtime idiocy.

Tall, mousy Angela Webber sits down and takes the vacant seat next to her. Bella thanks every deity she can think of for Angela's timing.

"Angela!" Bella exclaims. "So nice to see you. It seems like it's been forever."

Angela's brow furrows. "You just saw me in AP English. That was only two periods ago."

"Two periods too long!" Bella retorts. "Tell me, how excited are you to be reading _Hamlet_ this year?"

Angela visibly brightens. "I can't wait! I love Shakespeare."

Jacob, Jessica and Lauren all give them looks of disgust. To them, academic discussions at the lunch table are the height of uncool. They ignore the two girls and continue on gossiping and cracking jokes about various classmates.

Bella and Angela continue their discussion of their senior year reading list. Once Angela sees that their friends are suitably distracted, she drops all pretenses.

"Edward has been staring at you for the entire lunch period," she says, tone matter of fact.

Angela, despite seeming quiet and meek, does not like to beat around the bush. Bella is usually much the same. Talking about Edward Cullen is the exception.

"Shhhhh!" Bella hisses.

Angela's eyes nearly roll into her skull with the force of her eye roll. "They're too busy debating whether or not Mike Newton will be asking Jessica to Homecoming."

"But it's only the first day of school!" Bella protests.

"It's never to early to find a Homecoming date, apparently." Angela glares at her. "So. Edward Cullen."

Bella stabs her fork into what the fine cafeteria workers liked to call "mashed potatoes". "White goo" would be a more appropriate title. "What about Edward Cullen?"

Angela's mouth twitches, belaying her annoyance. "Like I said: he's been staring at you. More than usual."

Bella tries to will away the heat that she can feel rise in her face. "I may have stared back at him. I may have winked."

Angela's eyes widen. "Why in the world would you do that?"

"Because I'm tired of him staring at me. I don't know why he does it, but I'm not just going to let it slide anymore. He needs to know who the real alpha dog is around here. I can't let him get cocky and think that he's actually going to become valedictorian."

"Riiiiiight," Angela drawls. "That's totally why you did it."

Bella pales. She knows that Angela suspects that she may have a thing for Edward. No one can know, though. No one. Not if she wants to leave Forks unscathed, at least. "It's part of my senior year plan," she insists. "Winning mind games against Edward Cullen is an integral part of that plan!"

Angela clearly doesn't believe her, but lets it go. "Fine. Whatever. So . . . what are you doing for your birthday later?"

Bella glares. "I think you know what I'm doing."

Angela's smile can only be deemed evil. "I told Lauren and Jessica that I thought that a surprise party was a great idea," she cheerfully whispers.

Before Bella can respond, the bell rings, signaling the end of their lunch period.

Bella heaves out a sigh. "Off to AP Bio."

Jacob returns his attention to her and gently kisses her cheek. "I'm sorry, babe. You could always join us peons in the general section of Bio."

"Hey!" Angela protests. "We smarties have to stick together. Don't try to steal Bella from me!"

As Jessica and Lauren pack up their books and wave goodbye, Jacob puts up his fists and jabs at the air. "I'll fight you for her."

Bella can't help but to smile at the silliness of her best friend and boyfriend. "No one's fighting over me. C'mon, Ange, let's get to class." She gives Jacob a tight hug. "See you at my car after school?"

"You betcha!"

Before her and Angela leave the lunchroom, Bella spares a quick glance for the Cullen table. All of them are gone already.

Bella tries to ignore the disappointment stirring within her.

xXx

The usual suspects are in their AP Bio class, including three of the Cullens. Rosalie and Emmett share a table, while Edward sits alone. No one seems eager to go sit next to them, although many of the girls give him some speculative glances. No matter how strange they may think him, they can't help but to find him attractive. He is the most attractive boy in their grade (in the school, really) after all.

Bella tries hard to ignore Edward's presence as she enters the classroom, but she finds her eyes immediately latching onto his. The corner of his mouth lifts up in an almost-smile. It's clearly not a smile, though. Edward Cullen doesn't smile at anyone, especially not her. Mostly, he just stares her down.

She looks away before she can decide if he's really smiling or not. There's no need for her to get into two staring contests with him in one day. She wants to throw him off balance, but she doesn't want to give him the wrong idea. She doesn't want him to think that she's _interested_ (even if she is).

Bella turns to Angela and gestures to a seat with two empty tables. "Partners?"

Angela nods with a small smile, back to being meek now that she can feel the attention of others on her. "Sure."

Angela is a logical choice for a lab partner. She's not only Bella's friend, but she's the smartest person in their grade next to Edward and her. And Bella certainly has no plans to partner up with Edward.

Bella scribbles in her notebook as their teacher writes his name on the board. He's new to the school. Mr. Banner retired at the end of the previous year. Mr. Molina, his replacement, appears to be young and eager.

His newness makes Bella a bit apprehensive. New teachers love to change things up. Bella is perfectly happy sticking with the status quo. She lives and breathes the status quo. It's all part of being a happy citizen of Forks. Those who try to change things always end up burned.

It only takes one minute into Mr. Molina's introduction to see that her fears are indeed coming true.

"I see that you all haven chosen seats already," he says. "I hate to inconvenience anyone, but I'm going to be moving people around." He ignores the class' audible groan. "The person I put you next to will be your lab partner for the rest of the year. I've placed you all according to your academic performance in your previous science classes. Please move to the seat where I place you when I call your name."

Dread creeps into Bella's spine.

"Angela Webber and Ben Cheney," he calls.

Angela gives Bella an apologetic smile and moves to the front of the room. She knows that Angela is secretly excited, though. She's had a crush on Ben since their sophomore year. Bella hopes that now maybe she'll finally act on it.

"Michael Newton and Rosalie Hale."

"Emmett Cullen and Allison Smythe."

"Isabella Swan and Edward Cullen."

_Oh no, oh no, oh no_, Bella chants to herself. She looks at Edward and finds a slow smile taking over his face. Somehow, she has a feeling that he orchestrated this whole thing.

She gets up from her seat and carefully sits down in the seat that Mr. Molina guides her to. It's the seat right next to Edward. As she sits down, she does everything in her power to avoid turning her head towards him.

The sound of his voice forces her to look at him.

"Howdy, partner!"


	2. Cortege

**Chapter Two**: Cortege

**CORTEGE** - The funeral procession.

It takes Bella a few moments to respond to her new biology partner's greeting, mostly because she can count the number of times that Edward Cullen has spoken to her on one hand. For all his staring, he's never been very verbose with her. He's not exactly a Chatty Cathy.

She expected to be the one to make first contact, so to speak. Now, she's thrown off balance, unsure of what to do. Her reply is less than witty.

"Uh, hey," she says, her cheeks reddening.

He looks her up and down, eyes lingering on her face and chest. "Happy to be lab partners?" he asks, tone sarcastic.

Her wits finally return to her. "I couldn't be any more ecstatic." His gaze dips down to below her neck again and she snaps her fingers in front of his face. "Hey, my face is up here."

He doesn't even bother to look embarrassed. "I'm quite aware of where your face is. I wouldn't be tied with you for valedictorian if I couldn't tell the difference between a pair of eyes and a pair of breasts."

"Lovely," she spits out. "I can't wait to have to deal with this all year."

He laughs, but there's a bitter edge to it. "I'm just trying to unsettle you. Like you did with me at lunch when you decided to wink at me. Not that it worked, mind you. I know you have that boyfriend. What's his name? Jonsie? I hardly expect you to be flirting with little ol' me, Sullen Cullen."

Bella's jaw clenches. "His name is _Jacob_. And I don't play games."

"Sure you do. Everyone does. It's all part of being in high school."

"You don't seem to be playing the game very well then," Bella retorts. She regrets her words the instant she says them.

Edward doesn't appear to be hurt, though. Instead, he's giving her that little half-smile he gave her when Mr. Molina partnered them up. "Some of us are playing a very different game with a very different desired outcome."

Before Bella can ask him what he means, Mr. Molina takes notice of their spat.

"Mr. Cullen. Ms. Swan. Do you need to take your little lover's quarrel outside?"

"No, sir," Bella chirps, sure that she looks like a tomato in that moment.

Mr. Molina turns to Edward and looks him over. "What about you Mr. Cullen? Do you think that you can contain yourself?"

Edward bares his teeth in a facsimile of a smile. "I shall endeavor not to disrupt class any further, Captain."

Bella slyly covers her mouth with her hand, hiding her laughter. When she isn't the target of his humor, Edward Cullen can be pretty damn funny.

Mr. Molina merely levels Edward with a flat stare. "No need to call me Captain. Mr. Molina will be just fine."

Edward shrugs his shoulders, as if to say, 'have it your way.'

After a brief stare down with Edward, Mr. Molina finally begins his lecture. Bella and Edward both taught themselves the AP Bio coursework over the summer and zone off as he begins to speak. Each chooses their own unique manner of distraction. Edward does so by staring openly at Bella. Bella does so by studiously ignoring Edward and doodling in her notebook.

Their lab partnership is clearly a match made in heaven.

Mr. Molina unintentionally ends their stalemate at the end of class. Both perk up when they hear him mention a "final project."

"Your final project for the year will be done with your lab partner. It's quite simple: I want you to raise some sort of being from infancy to adulthood. It can be a fish. It can be a snail. It could even be a dog or cat. Right now, I want you all to focus on what it will be and come back to me with a list of ideas next week."

The class is so quiet that a pin drop could be heard. "Alright," Mr. Molina says, clapping his hands together. "I'll take your silence as a sign of excitement. I look forward to seeing you all next Monday. Class is dismissed."

No one bothers telling the new teacher that he has another five minutes until the bell rings.

Bella packs up her belongings, while Edward makes no effort to move. His attention is not on moving to the next class, but instead, staring holes into the side of Bella's head.

"Why aren't you packing up your stuff?" Bella asks. "This'll probably be the first and only time he ever lets us out early."

"We haven't decided when to meet yet," Edward tells her, not really answering her question.

Bella's brow furrows. "Meet for what?"

Edward rolls his eyes. "About the project, of course. You can come over my house at noon tomorrow."

Bella drops her backpack before she can sling it over her shoulders. "What? It's my birthday. I'll be busy."

"No you won't. You hate your birthday." His tone is matter-of-fact.

Bella is taken aback. "How do you know that?"

"I pay attention. You should really open your eyes to the world around you, Isabella Swan."

Any response she may have made is interrupted by the fierce glare that he throws over her shoulder. She turns around to find Rosalie Hale dramatically tapping her foot. Emmett Cullen stands beside her, completely unbothered, his mouth stretching into a grin when he catches Bella's eye.

The beautiful blond taps her watch with a sigh. "Tick tock, Eddie. If you want to have a smoke before gym, you'd better hurry it up."

Edward remains stoic in the face of his stepsister's antics. "I'll meet you outside in the hall in a moment."

Rosalie sneers at him. "Hurry it up, lover boy."

With that, she takes hold of Emmett's hand and steers him out of the classroom. Emmett winks at Bella as he's being dragged away.

Edward returns his attention to Bella and acts as if his family's interruption has never happened. "I'll see you at my house at noon tomorrow. You know where it is. It's the one with the sign that says, 'Cullen Family Funeral Home'. You know, the one on the other side of the woods behind your house?"

Bella hates that he mentions how close she lives to him. She's never made the trek through those woods to his house, though. It's too creepy. There's also far too much wildlife for her to deal with.

"I know where you live," she responds. "I'm not going over to your house tomorrow morning. I already told you that."

He smiles in response. "Happy birthday, Bella. I'll see you tomorrow." In a matter of moments, he's gathered his belongings and swept out of the room.

Bella picks up her backpack from the floor, wiping the dust off it with a bit too much force.

Angela walks over and taps her gently on the arm. "Not happy with your partner, huh?"

Bella shakes her head. "You can say that again."

xXx

Edward takes a drag of his cigarette, closing his eyes as he exhales. He puts the cigarette back between his lips and lets it dangle there. This is the most relaxed he's felt all day.

His peace is short lived, though. The cigarette is snatched from his lips. He opens his eyes to find his "beloved" stepsister, Rosalie, passing it along to Emmett.

"Learn to share," she reprimands him. Her personality is quite complicated. She's two parts motherly and one part bitchy. There are days Edward wants to strangle her and there are days where she is his greatest ally. Today appears to be the former.

"It's _my_ cigarette," he complains.

"Bought with Mom and Carlisle's money. Therefore, it is _our_ cigarette." Rosalie grabs said cigarette from Emmett, smoking it in a fashion that's clearly supposed to imitate the movie stars of old.

Emmett takes his girlfriend's side in their little spat. He almost always does. Rosalie is intimidating, while Edward is not. He and Edward shared a womb together. It's difficult to find someone scary after that.

"Rose is right. You shouldn't be smoking anyways, Ed," Emmett says.

"Whatever," Edward mutters in return.

Rosalie decides that a change of subject is much needed before the always-reticent Edward closes up again.

"So," she begins, "how'd you convince the new guy to let you partner with Bella Swan?"

Edward smirks. "It was easy, really. I met with him before school started today. I told him that I was concerned that both Bella's grades and mine would suffer if we were to be paired with anyone else. He thought that was a great idea and seemed to think he should do something similar for the rest of the class."

Rosalie looks put out. "You couldn't have told him just to do it for you and Bella? Now I'm going to be stuck with Michael 'Creepy Eyes' Newton for the rest of the year."

Edward shrugs innocently. "It'll help you build character."

Emmett is also a bit peeved with Edward. "How am I supposed to cheat off Rose if I'm not even allowed to partner with her?"

"Maybe you can charm your new partner into letting you coast."

Emmett snorts. "Allison Smythe? That girl was practically cowering in fear for the entire class. She seems to have really bought in to the rumors about us."

They all chuckle at that. The tales people tell about them have always been a source of amusement for them.

Edward scrapes his toe against the tree he's leaning on. "So, uh, how would you guys feel about starting some rumors of our own? I'm thinking of going to Bella's surprise party tonight."

Rosalie and Emmett stare at him, slack-jawed. Neither is quite sure what to say.

Rosalie is the first to find her words. "Really? I thought we all agreed that it'd be better if we just coasted by, not attracting any attention. Going to Swan's little party would be the complete opposite of that."

"I think it's time we shake this town up, don't you?"

Emmett grins. "You know, brother, I think you might be right."

Rosalie looks back and forth between the two boys. She shakes her head with a reluctant smile. "Fine, we'll go to that little party. We've got to okay it with Jasper and Alice first, though."

In a rare gesture of affection, Edward scoops her up in a hug. "Just leave it to me," he tells her, already intending to skip gym to get things done.

Just like that, his plan is in full swing.

xXx

Bella spends the rest of the school day thinking about Edward Cullen. During gym, she gets hit in the head with a volleyball. Luckily, she didn't sustain any injuries.

She heads out to the parking lot as the final bell rings, keeping her head down so that she won't be noticed. Unfortunately, her efforts are for naught. She smells Jacob's musky boy-smell before he throws her over his shoulder with a whoop.

"Jake," she squeaks out, trying to smother her laughter. His joy is contagious. Times like these she wishes she were _in_ love with him.

"Hells Bells," Jacob says, carrying her with ease, "I'm taking you home for an afternoon delight."

Most girls would be elated by that prospect. Jacob is one of the most handsome boys in school. He also has, Bella must admit, a rather talented pair of hands. Sex with him is always good—it's just never out of this world.

She wonders why today of all days she finds herself craving more. Karma sees fit to answer her when she sees Edward Cullen glaring at her and Jake from across the parking lot. She's fairly certain he's glaring, at least. It's hard to read facial expression when you're hanging upside down. She's also wondering what he's still doing at school, seeing as how he hadn't shown up for gym.

He transfers his glare to his siblings as they walk up to his car and get in. Before he slides into the driver seat, he shoots Bella a mocking wink, reminiscent of her very own cafeteria wink earlier that day.

That one small non-interaction with Edward causes question up question to spurt up in Bella's mind. Where were he and his siblings during gym? Why did he choose this of all years to start playing mind games with her? How much better would it feel to have his hands on her instead of Jake's?

That last, unintentional question causes her heart to skip a beat. She can hardly believe that she'd think such a thing while being carried by her devoted boyfriend. It's wrong.

She vows not to think of Edward Cullen for the rest of the day. Instead, she decides she'll focus her attentions on Jacob and making sure that his afternoon is very _delightful_ indeed.

xXx

Luckily, when Bella and Jake reach her house, Bella's mother, Renee, is home. Bella is silently relieved that she won't have to have sex with Jacob now. Her house is too small and the walls are too thin to even think about doing it with her parents home.

Jacob, on the other hand, is visibly disappointed. "Oh hey, Renee. I thought you were working at the hospital this afternoon." His tone is innocent, but Bella can tell that he is fishing to see if her mother, a hospital nurse, will be going in for a shift in the very near future.

With her response, Renee dashes Jacob's hopes. "Oh no, dear. I took today off. It's my baby's eighteenth birthday! I thought that I might take her on a shopping spree before you two do whatever it is that you have planned tonight." Renee sends a sly wink in Bella's direction. It's obvious that she knows about the "surprise" party and isn't doing much to keep it a secret.

Bella rolls her eyes, keeping her pleasure at having an excuse to be away from Jacob a secret. She makes sure to act the part of displeased girlfriend to Jake, though. She pats him on the chest with a frown. "Guess I'll just have to see you later, then."

Jake gives her a sad smile and pecks her on the lips. "I'll pick you up at seven." He leans in to whisper in Bella's ear, his warm breath tickling her neck. "Hopefully we can have some _alone_ time at Lauren's place."

Bella gives him a fake smile. "Sure thing, cowboy."

After Jake leaves, Bella flops down next to her mom on the couch.

Renee gives her a look of concern. "Things not going well with Jacob?"

Bella rubs a hand over her face. "They are . . . it's just . . . sometimes I feel like it's not enough, you know?"

Renee puts her arm around her daughter and Bella snuggles into her mother's embrace. "Charlie and I adore Jake," Renee tells her, "but we love you even more. You deserve to be happy. Part of being a grown up is discovering your happiness."

"Jake does make me happy, but it's like a part of me knows there's something more for me out there." Bella sighs in frustration.

Gently, Renee strokes Bella's hair. "Is there another boy? It would be okay if there was, you know. I know you don't want to be tied to this town—that you have big dreams. That doesn't have to mean that life might not surprise you by dropping a great guy in your lap right here in ol' Forks."

Bella's mind goes straight to Edward. "There is someone that does intrigue me, per se. He's kind of off limits, though. I don't want to stir the pot here in Forks any more than I have to. I'll be leaving in a few months anyways."

Renee pulls back to take a good look at her daughter. "It's Edward Cullen, isn't it?"

Bella stiffens in shock. "How'd you know?"

A laugh escapes Renee. "Honey, every Sunday in church for as long as I can remember that boy has stared you down. And try as you might, you haven't done as good a job of ignoring him as you think."

Bella can feel her cheeks heat up. "Is it that obvious to everyone? I mean, I don't even know if I like the guy. He's a royal pain in the ass."

"I'm pretty sure I'm the only one who noticed. I'm your mother, after all. It's my job to know these things."

Bella feels herself relax. If her friends thought she had a thing for Edward Cullen, they would have said something. A sense of sadness creeps into her tone as she says, "Mom, even if I was interested in him, there's no way I could be with him."

Ire enters Renee's eyes. "Is it because of what people say about the Cullens and Hales? I'll have you know that Carlisle Cullen and Esme Hale are two of the nicest people that I've ever met. The way the people in this town treat them is absolutely shameful. I thought you better than that, Bella."

Bella can't help but to feel ashamed. "You're right, Mom. I just don't want to rock the boat, I guess."

Renee's anger recedes. "I think a good boat rocking is exactly what this town needs," she says, tone sly.

Bella gives her mother a half-nod, eager for a change of subject. "So when are you taking me shopping?"

The look Renee gives her lets her know that she's only temporarily off the hook. "Let's go now. Time to get the birthday girl something pretty for her 'surprise' party."

Mother and daughter both chuckle, the seriousness of their talk left behind.

xXx

Bella's wearing a flirty red dress and flats when Jake comes to pick her up. He clearly appreciates the effort that she's made if the wolf whistle he lets loose is anything to tell by.

"You look amazing," he tells her, sweeping her up in a hug.

"You better not be touching my baby," Charlie's gruff voice calls from the living room.

His chief-of-police act would scare most guys, but Jake's known Charlie since he was in diapers and knows when the man is making a joke. "She's an adult now, Charlie. She's hardly a baby."

Charlie snorts loud enough for them to hear. "She'll always be my little girl."

Charlie's not usually so sentimental—something that Bella appreciates. His unusual works of sentiment put Bella in a rush to get out of the house. "Alright, we're leaving now. Bye!"

Charlie gets the last word in. "Be back by two!" He's made her curfew later on purpose. It's his version of a joke. He knows that Bella hates parties and would use any excuse to be home early. Usually, that excuse is her curfew.

"Thanks, Dad," she mutters.

Jake doesn't hear her. "Let's get this party started!" he cheers.

Bella wishes that felt a tenth of his enthusiasm.

xXx

The drive to the party is uneventful. Jacob rests his hand on Bella's bare knee and they chat a bit about their first day classes. It's comfortable. For Bella, it's a bit _too_ comfortable.

She finds herself daydreaming a bit during their conversation. The part of her that longs to escape the monotony of her daily life seems to grow bigger day by day. If she's not careful, it'll get her into trouble.

When they pull up to Lauren' Mallory's large colonial home, she finds herself wishing once again that she could have a quiet night in for her birthday. She can clearly hear music coming from the house and splashes coming from the pool. This is not her scene.

"Do we have to go inside?" Bella knows she's whining. She doesn't care.

Jake laughs. "If you go inside, I'll be sure to reward you later."

Bella perks up a bit. She may have not wanted to have sex with Jake earlier, but after a few drinks and some inane partying, she knows that she'll need the release. Besides, Jake really _does_ know how to use his hands.

"Okay," she agrees.

They walk into the party amidst a clamor of catcalls and birthday wishes. Bella is relieved to see that Lauren and Jessica at least tried to bother inviting people that she actually knows. She has to give them credit for that.

She catches Lauren in the kitchen, a scowl on her face. "I was about to thank you for inviting people who might even know my name, but not if you've got that look on your face."

Lauren picks up a shot glass and fills it with vodka. "I'm not sure if you'll be thanking me in a minute. There's definitely people who know you here, but I didn't invite some of them. It appears that we have party crashers."

Bella feels a sense of unease creep up her spine. "Who?" she asks.

"The Cullens."


End file.
